Dioscorea basiclavicaulis for Evelyn

[Marlon Machado]

Eveandrea Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have read somewhere a comment of Marlon that
> there are no seeds of Dioscorea basiclavicaulis as
> the plant grows several meters high up on trees,
> also the one in Zürich never developed flowers.


Evelyn is right, I never found seeds of this plant in habitat, because the vines grow high up on the trees.

Cheers,

Marlon.

[Eveandrea]

Hi Marlon,

this is really an impressive plant! I wonder what those little leaves on the side if the new stem are, they seem to have dried on the main stem. Do they have any function?
Have a nice trip, cheers
Evelyn

[Marlon Machado]

Hi Evelyn,

Those are rudimentary leaves that do not have a function really, later they will dry up. It is like the small leaves on the new cladodes of opuntias. It is only when the stem tapers to a vine that the leaves develop fully.

Cheers,

Marlon.

[Marlon Machado]

Now the new stem has expanded to its full size:

[attachment 17815 p4280074.jpg]

[Marlon Machado]

It is now the largest stem of the plant:

[attachment 17817 p4280076.jpg]

[Julie]

Wow, it does not let the dust settle on itself!

My Kleinia has little leaves whenever it makes a new candle, but they die off when the candle matures. Could it be that the surface area of the leaf for it's little amount of matter, gives a boost to the new stem or candle? I guess it would lose more water, but then I bet the plant only invests in a new stalk when it's got a good supply.

[Socotranboy]

[attachment 17847 Neoalsomitra_podagrica_net.jpg]


A really great similitude with Neoalsomitra podagrica (my picture)

Alain

[Julie]

It's a little work of art, Alain.

[Eveandrea]

Marlon,
this is an amazing growth! It is also very funny for me to see those typical macrostachya leaves associated with these wax-like, green, smooth and spiny stems while I am used to see the brownish, crevassed bark-like caudex of the "usual" Dioscoreas.

The only Dioscorea that is similar to the basiclavicaulis is this D. altissima, photographed in RBG of Kew. Alain's Neoalsomitra is quite similar to the basiclavicaulis, maybe it is really one?
[img]http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4425/kwd ... ma1az7.jpg[/img]

[Marlon Machado]

Hi Evelyn,

Neoalsomitra podagrica is a cucurb - it belongs in the family. Cucurbitaceae The similarity to Dioscorea basiclavicaulis is probably just a matter of coincidence, perhaps convergence of growth form due to similar conditions found in their habitats. But other than this, there is no close relationship between the two!

On the other hand, Dioscorea altissima might indeed be closely related to Dioscorea basiclavicaulis

Cheers,

Marlon.